1. TAHOE KEYS WEEDS TEST ACHIEVES KEY MILESTONE
No herbicides detected in final test area
Sept. 23, 2022 (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) – The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA)
project to test innovative methods to control the largest infestation of aquatic invasive weeds in the
Tahoe Basin reached another milestone this week. Monitoring showed that herbicides were no longer
present in the Area A test location. On Thursday, divers removed the rubber barriers, called turbidity
curtains, that since May had sealed off the test area to restrict herbicide movement. This ends all boating
restrictions in the Tahoe Keys lagoons and marks the successful end of the herbicide portion of a
rigorous, three-year Control Methods Test (CMT) project. The test is the first of its kind in the United
States and must meet high standards of safety, due in part to the designation of Lake Tahoe as an
Outstanding National Resource Water.
Years two and three of the project will focus on UV-C light treatment, laminar flow aeration, and other
non-chemical methods such as diver hand pulling, with extensive monitoring to help create long-term
management plans to battle the aquatic invasive weeds. No additional herbicide applications or boating
restrictions will be part of the test moving forward.
Next week, the project team will release the first report on the test project. The report will provide a
summary of the activities that occurred in Summer 2022 and will be available at
www.tahoekeysweeds.org.
The three-year field test project was preceded by a multi-year collaborative public planning process and
extensive environmental review by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Lahontan
Regional Water Quality Control Board. On May 25, TKPOA began trials of EPA-approved herbicides,
followed by UV-C light treatments. The League to Save Lake Tahoe is monitoring the multi-year
laminar flow aeration program, which is a technology that releases small air bubbles through sediments
in the lagoon bottoms to stimulate biological activity and reduce plant growth in designated test areas.
TRPA simultaneously launched independent rigorous monitoring for the project to collect data on the
efficacy of treatments, water quality, and overall data on how the natural environment responds to the
various treatments.
“This test project is producing an incredible amount of data that will help inform how we tackle the
largest aquatic weed infestation in the lake,” TRPA Invasive Species Program Manager Dennis Zabaglo
said. “It is encouraging to see this project move ahead after many years of planning and collaboration.”
“After a promising start, the next two years focus on testing a range of innovative and proven weed
control methods, including UV-C light and laminar flow aeration” said Jesse Patterson, chief strategy
officer for the League to Save Lake Tahoe. “By evaluating every possible tool we have in one
2. comprehensive test, the CMT can give us a formula for controlling ground zero for invasive weeds in
Tahoe. And with that, we can protect the whole lake.”
Learn more about the CMT project at www.tahoekeysweeds.org.
Media Contacts:
Phil Weidinger, dinger@weidingerpr.com
Christina Proctor, christina@weidingerpr.com
Weidinger Public Relations, 775-588-2412
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About Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association
The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) is a well-maintained and operated recreational-oriented residential
association of 1,528 property owners on the shores of Lake Tahoe.
